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Name: Gayle Sherwood
Title: Grants and Research Administrator
Department: Research and Graduate Studies - Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Academic Degree(s):

• B.A. in Art/Art History, Fresno State
• M.S. in Criminology, Fresno State

How long have you worked at Fresno State and in which offices have you worked?
I have worked here for about seven years. I actually just rehired. I left campus in 2022.

Are you a Valley native?
Nope. I was born and raised in Daly City, a suburb of San Francisco. I moved to Fresno for college and fell in love with the community. I chose this university because I had to pay for college on my own. It was affordable and offered the degree that I had my heart set on at the time.

Are you a Bulldog family with generations of Bulldog graduates or current students?
No, actually I’m a first-generation college student with a very proud, but very small blue-collar family. We are composed of railroaders, mechanics, factory workers, truckers, construction laborers and law enforcement.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career?
Absolutely yes. I am forever grateful to Maral Kismetian and Doug Carey, for their patience and tutelage. I am also grateful to a mentor I had in my former career with Fresno Superior Court, Josette Merced-Bello, who helped me find grants administration.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it.
Sponsored Programs play a big part in supporting not just research, but any externally funded activities that happen on campus. A lot of the cool stuff happening that you see in the news, the big grants, training opportunities and research, almost all of it has to touch our office. We handle all negotiations, risk checks, etc. Grant administration is a very specialized, weird job, too. Applying for a grant is intimidating, so that is why we are here. We help faculty and staff through the process. Kind of like Sherpa, but for paperwork.

What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
My most notable accomplishment is the cumulative experience of helping faculty and staff relax and go for grant opportunities, and when rejections happen, to get back up and try again. I’ve had tremendous success and found great satisfaction in watching grants that I assisted with award on the second, third, fifth, even eighth attempt.

What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
I’m a notorious rule follower, especially when it comes to grant guidelines. I’m very passionate about encouraging folks to read the guidelines before writing their grant and not depending on someone else to read it for them. It’s important to understand the rules, and what a sponsor is looking for, before you start writing.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job?
Meeting Jean Feldman, the head of the policy office at the National Science Foundation, at a conference was pretty memorable. It’s one thing to read the rules, but to meet the person who oversees the book on the rules was pretty awesome.

What is a memorable moment you had in class?
As a student, I used to skateboard to class. I had a really awesome longboard. I was in an auditorium classroom and the professor walked in, grabbed my skateboard, ran to the top of the auditorium, sat on the board, and rode it all the way down. It was pretty awesome.

What is your favorite quote or saying?
Done is better than perfect. Also, you can’t push a rope.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had?
I worked as the exhibits clerk at Fresno County Superior Court. My job was to catalog trial exhibits. For example, pictures, knives, guns, all the stuff collected as evidence and admitted as an exhibit during a trial. I worked with the Appellate divisions to provide records for cases on appeal. I also helped TV producers with records for their shows, for example, "Snapped." At the time, we were being audited, so I had to re-inventory every death penalty conviction. It was challenging. I saw a lot of sad and scary stuff.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
Travel is my jam, but I love hiking and backpacking in particular. In my spare time, I usually venture off to the mountains. I tend to favor Stanislaus National Forest over Yosemite, because it’s much less crowded and just as beautiful, but I do love the national parks. Someday, I would really like to backpack across Japan. My wife and I are actually going to Japan this fall, so who knows. Maybe this is the year.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
I don’t know, I tend to be an open book. I’m an eclectic artist, a lover of knowledge in all forms, and super open-minded, so I don’t really limit myself to any particular area. I listen to all sides. I love life, and I believe in getting out there and trying everything, even if you’re not going to be good at it. Everybody has to start somewhere.